Nothing Beyond Friendship
by canis-phantom
Summary: Sixth year of the marauders, through the eyes of the girl who in JKR's fifth book so longingly gazed at Sirius. I want to say this is where Lily and James get together, or where my original character and Sirius get together, but neither is true. This is w


**Nothing Beyond Friendship**

**Chapter One: The Panty Thief**

By sinsperception

Leona awoke to the rapid-fire cursing coming from a nearby corner of her bed. Hazily she searched out the reason for the outburst and found Lily Evans standing stark naked to her left staring into her empty trunk. Leona paused before crawling out of bed. _It's too early for drama; it's not supposed to be in my schedule until a good strong cup of coffee and something with a lot of butter and fat._ Sadly, this was almost a routine for Leona. Ever since the first year drama and gripping suspense met her head on every morning. The cause of this painful lifestyle: James Potter, naturally. Their parents had been friends for many years before the two were shipped off to Hogwarts, and they had begun to develop quite a friendship. Hogwarts posed problems for them, new people, new faces, and as far as James was concerned, girls. He seemed to instantly gravitate to boys of a similar mind-set, and before long, Leo's James was no more, replaced by the panty-snatching villain, as it was. Lily, her best friend since the first train-ride to Hogwarts seemed to always be at the butt-end of James' pranks, and this served for quite a lifestyle for Leo, who always had to play mediator between the two. Nevertheless the five-foot-two head of hair crawled out of her warm covers to see what her friend found so tragic. Indeed, her trunk was completely void of anything; no clothes, no hair-bands, not even her standard toiletries.

"It's Potter! I don't know how, and frankly I'm afraid to ask, but this is just like him to pull a stunt like this. You have to go get my things back; I can't go out like this!"

"Perhaps," Leona retorted, "that's exactly what he's hoping for."

"I will not humiliate myself for the sake of playing into his trap!" Lily huffed at her best friend, "Leo! Do something!"

"If you ignore him maybe he'll go away."

"I've been trying for six years now, and nothing I do seems to work. Maybe he needs therapy."

"Thera-whatty?" Came Leona's confused mumble.

"Therapy, it's a muggle thing. We have doctors that study the mind, and help people who are mentally challenged.

"You mean they could help people like the insane ward at Mungo's? I have a distant cousin there, Alphred." Quipped the ever nosey Miranda from across the room.

"Yes, exactly, that's why I want to become a healer." Lily paused for a second, "Never mind me becoming a healer! I need clothes."

"Here," Leo shoved a stack of grey and maroon colored clothes her way and shrugged. "My things might be a bit big for you, but nothing too bad. Better then going naked."

Out on the way to breakfast the girls walked through the Gryffindor common room to find James and Sirius perched on the edge of their seats looking up their staircase. A look of utter confusion crossed their faces when they saw Lily fully clothed. Leona nodded to Lily to walk ahead and paused in front of the hooligans.

"James Potter, you've done many rotten things." Leo began, and much to her dismay found that both James and Sirius looked rather proudly at one another as they heard _rotten things_. "But this even beats out what you did to Snivelly last year! Stealing her things, girl's panties are private, go and steal her diary too, why don't you." Again a look of mischief passed between the two boys.

"Speaking of panties, I was thinking about getting the blue, because you like that color so much, but all they had was that ugly stretchy grandma kind, you know, that old ladies wear, and I figured you wouldn't appreciate that. On the other hand I wasn't sure if you wear those new American kinds, the thong. There was one that changes colors with your moods. Red was passion, tell me Leo, what color would your thong be if you saw me naked?"

"James Potter! Will you shut up long enough so that I can ask you a question?"

"Certainly, darling, what is it?"

"Didn't I already tell you that I want the black and pink?"

"Oh, don't get the pink, it doesn't suit you. What color would you be if you saw _me_ naked?" Sirius quipped.

"Damn it Sirius, I asked first!"

"But your answer will be so much more interesting!" Sirius teased and threw a pillow at James.

"Tell us already!" James demanded as he pulled the pillow from his face.

"Aw, shove it, both of you! I forget why I even started the conversation in the first place." Leo sighed.

"Why, darling, you were going to reprimand me for stealing Lily's panties. I am terribly sorry, and I'm sure if she were to go on a date with me on this lovely Friday night I would gladly see to it that the house elves all return to their posts and return her things to her immediately."

"Come off it James, she hates you and you know it. There's no point in stealing her personal belongings and then asking her out, you're doing everything backwards." Leo pressed her thumb and index finger of her right hand to her temples and began to sidle away from the two boys expecting that they would follow.

"Oi, mate, you're doing her backwards." Sirius whispered to James when Leo had walked off a distance. James turned a slight shade of pink but instead got up and ran after Leo.

"Leo, dear, what color would Evans be if she saw me naked?"

"Green." Came the curt response.

"Ah, green with envy for my god-like beauty no doubt." James nodded solemnly and thoroughly ruffled his already messy hair. The two of them slowly descended the many staircases from the tower to the great hall, Sirius trailing close behind them. Leona made sure to slink along as she walked, giving Sirius a nice view from behind and absolutely no reason to catch up to the pair. It was amusing to tease him in such ways, as she and Sirius always had a sexual tension when they were together, and many people often wondered why they wouldn't finally put everyone out of their misery and date. Leona, however, realized all too well that Sirius merely wanted her for the sake of saying that he'd had her. _I'm not a trophy to be won or lost, and until he appreciates that he won't even get a peek…_

Finally Sirius got sick of trailing behind and only about two floors before they reached the Great Hall he caught up, "Oi, wench, you never answered me. What color would you turn if you saw me naked?"

"What color would you like me to turn?"

"Oh, so you're like that are you? James, mate, what was the color for uncontrollable lust?" Leo nudged Sirius in the ribs with her elbow at his question.

"Oh, I don't remember, probably red, just the same."

"Then there you go Sirius, I'd be red all over for you." Leona answered in a flat tone, trying to put the completely inappropriate conversation to rest before one of the professors overheard.

"That's no fun, what about James…you never answered him either."

"Padfoot, mate, lay it to rest." James defended. "A joke is only good a first few times."

"Unless you're Snivelly." Quipped Sirius, and instantly the conversation changed and Leona was free from answering questions on topics she was ashamed to even think about. James was like a brother to her, always had been. It all started the day she dumped a pail full of sand on his head when they were five, and they'd been friends ever since. It was disturbing to think about him in any other way. Leona was snapped out of her thoughts by a tap on her shoulder,

"So do you think that getting Lily to go on a date won't work then?" James asked with a look of deep frustration and urgency in his voice. _We're back to this?_

"No, I'm terribly sorry, but I think she's just about had enough of you. Although…" Suddenly a mischievous look crossed Leona's face.

"Well, Leo, let's have it then." Sirius urged, as they were now suspiciously standing outside the doors to the Great Hall, choosing not to go in for the sake of having the conversation away from the prying ears of people with loose mouths.

"Lily is terrible at flying. Perhaps if you apologized, and told her you'd accidentally robbed her trunk when you were actually trying to get at me, then her anger will be lessened and…no…" Leo tried ferociously to think of a way to help her friend. "I know. Let me talk to her. I can't promise a date, but I can promise a chance to be alone in a setting that, if you try, can be very romantic. I'll talk to you later to fill you in." And just like that Leona disappeared into the Great Hall and by the time the boys poked their heads in after her she was sitting next to Lily and chatting as though she'd been there all along.

**Chapter Two: When Good Plans Go Bad and a Friendly Face is Hard to Find.**

Lily was happy to see her best friend before she'd finished her breakfast. She always worried that Potter would be a bad influence on her, and was always apprehensive about letting her spend time with him. This time, however, Leona was talking to him **about** Lily and therefore the longer the conversation, the more Lily feared for her own well being as well.

"Lily! There's been a terrible mistake." Leo exclaimed as she took her seat next to her best friend. "Potter is an imbecile, which you already knew, but this time he at least admit it. He robbed you by utter mistake, and had never even planned on bothering you. He was trying to rob me." Leo uttered in almost a single breath, taking pause only to chomp down on a scone and chew it through. The dark look on Lily's face only seemed to get darker at this news.

"Why in the world would he try to rob you, you're his friend for goodness sakes!"

"I know, I know, please don't be mad at him, I'm not. It was just a joke between friends, I always used to steal his socks when we were children because I thought his were more comfortable, and now he's trying to get me back. Anyway, the point is that he's awfully sorry about what he did to you."

"And why isn't he telling all this to me in person, may I ask?" Lily huffed and crossed her arms in front of her in utter contempt.

"Well…" Leo looked around the table to see if she could spot James, "…the truth, Lily…the truth is…"

"Well, let's have it then."

From across the table on the other side of the hall James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were all craning their necks to follow along with the conversation.

"Can anyone tell what Leo's saying?" Came James' plea after he gave up and jammed his fork into the scrambled eggs before him.

"I think she said something about you smelling like socks, and thinking she has a big nose." Peter offered.

"That's not helping!" James barked in a stage whisper at his friend from across the table.

"Don't worry about it mate, it's Leo." Sirius pleaded, "She'll take care of things, don't worry about it."

"Oh, I suppose you're right, she hasn't let me down yet." James conceded and shoved a fork full of food in his mouth.

"Of course, she never did answer you about that thong…" Sirius added playfully, and batted his eyelashes innocently when James glared at him with a look that could kill. Meanwhile a pair of eyebrows lifted across the table and gazed expectantly for an explanation why James and Leo would be discussing thongs with Sirius present.

"FLYING LESSONS!" Lily exploded a ways off, "You know I hate flying Leo, I won't go anywhere near a broom, ESPECIALLY if Potter's going to be teaching me."

"I think you're going about this all wrong Lils, Potter's the Seeker for out Quidditch team, he's very good at flying and I can vouch for the fact that he isn't at all reckless on his broom. You couldn't find a better instructor if you had all the money in the world, and it's not like he's out to get you, he's just trying to apologize for his mistake."

"I still don't see why he can't just say he's sorry and move on." Lily continued, trying hard to not sway to Leo's speech. She was a very persuasive speaker when she wanted to be.

"I told you, it's not appropriate in his family to merely SAY he's sorry, he has to show you he's sorry. To him, being sorry is a way of life. If you want, I can sit in the stands with my broom in case you should fall." Leo added coyly knowing it would only irk Lily. "Not to mention he's so ashamed that he doesn't feel he can speak to you until you accept his offer."

"Maybe that's for the better? Then he'll leave me alone and never bother me again." Lily said, suddenly seeming hopeful and starry-eyed.

"Lily, I'm ashamed of you. A person is trying his best to apologize to you as best he can for a terrible mistake and you're being ruthless. Why…you're not better with him then he is with Snape!" That did Lily in. The date was on.

Later that day during History of Magic, which Lily conveniently didn't have, Leo sat down in between James and Sirius and told them the plan. James was a little stunned at the idea and the lies Leo went through to make this work. Sirius was so proud tears welled up in his eyes and he pretended to weep as though he was giving his baby away. James merely noted that Leo was playing quite the sacrificial lamb for him and he would have to keep that in mind while shopping for her presents next time.

"Why don't we go do our homework on the fields, summer's almost over and we'll be cooped up inside for a long time to come." Leo offered and led the boys towards the fields and the lake. The grass was intoxicating and it wasn't long before both the boys had forgotten their homework and went off to play some two-man quidditch. Leona rested against a tree and tried to concentrate on completing Vetra's essay on the many different uses of Clementine Grass in potions. Never the less she dosed off and by the time she awoke the sun was beginning to settle down behind the forest.

"JAMES!" James came running at the sound of Leo's voice. "James, we need to head up, I told Lily you could get the flying lesson out of the way tonight. So she wouldn't have to think about it ahead of time for too long. You need to get ready." Leona rattled on for a bit as they were getting their things together. Sirius had already gone in for the night, after a vixen Ravenclaw drew his attention away. "What were you doing if Sirius had gone in? Obviously not your homework…" Leo asked pointing to the half empty parchment paper.

"Well, actually I was picking these." James said quietly and thrust a bouquet of daisies at Leo. "I know they're your favorite, and you're doing so much for me, I felt like I owed you."

"This is perfect, I'll tell Lily you gathered them for me to give to her. She'll love them." Leo shrugged and patted James on the back.

"You think everything will go well tonight, then?"

"I'm sure of it. Once she's up on your broom with you and sees the stars and feels you wrap your arms around her to keep her warm she won't be able to resist you." Leo smiled reassuringly.

"Thanks."

Leona wandered into the girl's common room and handed the daisies to Lily.

"These are from James; he hoped you'd like them."

"Keep them, he's doing enough, and you deserve it, playing the go between all day long." Lily said and handed them back. She saw a humored look cross her friend's face but didn't bother saying anything. "Is he ready then?"

"I'm not sure, hold on while I check." Leo murmured over her shoulder as she placed the daisies in a vase between the two girl's beds. "There, now it doesn't matter who got them, we'll both see them." With that she strolled out of the room to go check on James. The scene in the boy's room was very different. James had tried on five ties already and four different pairs of shoes. "James, all of them are identical, why not just pick one pair and stick to it?"

"You don't understand, these are shinier, and these are duller, and these are…I don't know what." James yammered away all the while pulling shoes on and off and ruffling his hair over and over again. "Maybe this is all a terrible mistake?"

"Snap out of it." Sirius said in a hushed voice from across the floor. "Just go."

James pulled on a new pair of socks and the duller shoes and finally stood up. Leo ushered him out the door, waving to Lily that he was ready, and at last they were gone. Now the challenge of inevitable insomnia came over Leona, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. They had all been waiting for this moment for six years and no way were they going to wait another night to hear the gushy details. The troop of sixth years marched into the common room and took up killing time. Leona was allowed to beat Sirius and Peter repeatedly and chess and Remus would periodically burst in excitedly and read a passage from 'Hogwarts, A History Volume 7.' Half an hour after they left, in stormed a disheveled Lily and with smeared make-up and a terrified look scampered into the girl's dorm without saying a word. Leona looked at the boys with a petrified look and slowly followed her friend in.

"Lily?"

"He nearly dropped me!" Came the snorting-sobbing-coughing reply. Lily then went to explain in an incomprehensible manner that everything had been going well until he started trying to show her how to go back down. "The head of the broom tilted down and I started to slip and had I not started screaming he would have dropped me!"

Leona listened very quietly for a few minutes, taking in everything her friend said, and then when Lily had finally finished and managed to catch her breath all she could must was, "Crud."

"Crud, is that all you can say! I nearly died and all you have to say is 'crud'!" Lily erupted again.

"That's how you go down, Lily, you tilt the broom down and it slowly descends. He wasn't going to drop you, he was probably well on his way to reach around your waist to hold you to the broom. If you hadn't started screaming…I'm sure he wouldn't have let you slip."

"This is typical! You're taking his side you haven't even thought about what I'm saying. You weren't there! You can't tell me that he was or wasn't going to drop me!"

"You're right, I'm sorry…it's just that he was hoping to get on your good side to much, and I wanted for my two best friends to at least tolerate each other's presence." Leona crossed over and hugged Lily tightly as she could. "Why don't you lay down and get some rest. I got all your things back while you were gone, so you should find everything ok. If anything's missing just tell me." Leona sat down on her bed and waited for Lily to change. Minutes after her friend put her head on her pillow she could hear her quietly snoring away. Leo slid off her bed and raced out into the common room. The three boys were still sitting there looking bewildered and utterly dismayed. "Has James come back yet?" Her heart sank when all three simultaneously shook their heads, no. Again at a dashing speed Leona raced out of the common room into the halls, and before she knew it she was out on the Quidditch field, and the last of the sun was sinking into the dark forest, and she was racing up the stairs of the seats, and there he was.

She quietly approached him as he sat there, head in hands, bent over. He wasn't crying, she could tell by how quite he was that if he had cried, it was all over with.

"James?" She quietly spoke his name, a whisper that was carried off by the night breeze so that he almost didn't hear it. She put her hand on his shoulder, "James, I'm so sorry." Leona sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around him, and he turned towards her, face twisted with self deprecation, and returned her embrace. "This is entirely my fault; I should've never put you up to this."

So they sat, and watched the sun sink low and disappear. They walked down the stairs together, and across the field, James' broom in his hand, his other arm around Leo's shoulders. The humor of the very morning was gone from them completely. When they got back to the common room, neither said a word, they just went their separate ways, but once in the confines of her bed, Leona pulled out her journal:

_Dearest Diary,_

_I think sometimes that I do more harm then good. In this case I don't have to think, I know I've ruined James completely. There's no redeeming himself now, now he'll have to do what I do, wish, and hope, and pray that she changes her mind. I don't know how to apologize to the both of them. To Lily, because I put her through an awful night for the sake of my own agenda, and to James because I've lost his one true love, and I don't think there's a way of getting Lily back to him now. Sometimes I wish he loved me instead, then there wouldn't be a problem, then we'd just be happy, and so would our parents, what a perfect match we'd make. If I saw him naked I'd turn…_


End file.
